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TUESDAY
December 1, 1998
SECTION TWO vol 9, no. 233

To print out entire text of Today's issue, print this section as well as SECTION ONE

Events Today in Church History

Today is the date 831 years ago that Pope Alexander III, 170th successor of Peter, in order to protect the Northern Italian towns from the ravages of the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa formed the Lombard League. For other pertinent events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history today, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for December 1:

660 A.D.

Death of Saint Eligius, who became Bishop of Tournay after a successful secular life as a goldsmith and master of the mint for King Clotaire I in Paris.

He is also known as the "Apostle of Flanders" for venturing into Belgium and converting the Britons to the faith and accepting the authority of the Frankish King. He was a friend to the poor and a counselor to the rich, dying on this date at Noyon at the age of 70. He is the patron saint of metalworkers.

1167 A.D.

Pope Alexander III heads efforts to convince Northern Italian towns to form the Lombard League to offset the advance by Frederick I Barbarossa in overthrowing Italy.

1521 A.D.

Death of Pope Leo X, 217th successor of Peter. This Firenze-born pontiff neither understood nor knew how to offer a remedy to the dangerous schism brought about by the ex-Augustinian monk Martin Luther. Leo contributed to the institution of the pawnbrokers' activity seen as a work of charity for the assistance of the less fortunate.

1580 A.D.

Death of Blessed Father Edmund Campion, English Jesuit priest who was martyred for his faith through hanging because he dared to disobey Queen Elizabeth and follow Rome.

1580 A.D.

Death of Cardinal Giovanni , the Italian 71-year old theologian who contributed much to the counter reformation and the Council of Trent.

1917 A.D.

Father Edward Flanagan, with very little in his pockets, but a heart of gold, founds a small community just outside Omaha, Nebraska and calls it "Boys Town." He would open the doors of Boys Town less than two weeks later.

WORLDWIDE NEWS & VIEWS with a Catholic slant

HEADLINES:

Vatican honors Patriarch on feast of Saint Andrew - patron of the Eastern Orthodox Church

In a gesture of cooperation, the Holy See sent representatives on behalf of Pope John Paul II to Constantinople to honor the traditions of the Eastern Orthodox Church and their Patriarch Bartholomew I on the feast of the patron saint of the Eastern Church - Saint Andrew the Apostle who evangelized the east. It is a tradition that has gone on for years with the Eastern Orthodox Church leaders reciprocating the Roman Catholic Church on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul celebrated on June 29th. The Holy Father sent a message to the Patriarch hoping the two of them can get together in the future to pare back the walls that separate the two Churches from full communion. For more, click on St. Andrew.

VATICAN GREETINGS FOR ORTHODOX FEAST

VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- A Vatican delegation represented Pope
John Paul II today at ceremonies in Istanbul, Turkey, as the Greek
Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I-- the acknowledged leader of the
Orthodox world-- celebrated the feast of St. Andrew, the patron of
the Eastern churches.

The Vatican delegation was led by Msgr. Pierre Duprey, the secretary
of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. The president of that
Council, Cardinal Edward Cassidy, could not make the trip to Turkey
because of his participation in the special Synod for Oceania.

The Vatican envoys delivered a message to Patriarch Bartholomew
from the Holy Father, who spoke of "the pressing urgency of
overcoming the differences and difficulties which prevent us from
achieving full communion."

For several years, the Vatican and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople have exchanged delegates, with representatives from
the Holy See participating in the ceremonies for the feast of St.
Andrew, while Orthodox representatives travel to Rome for the feast
of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Irish peace pact very fragile with news of Protestant vigilante group trying to derail all peace efforts in Northern Ireland

Intent on disrupting the fragile peace accord signed last Good Friday in Northern Ireland, a Protestant radical group known as the "Orange Volunteers" have already kidnapped a few Irish Catholics and have their sights set on even more, including recently released IRA members in their bid to negate the peace and keep Northern Ireland Protestant and British. They have taken responsibility for numerous unreported reports of assaults on Catholic establishments throughout Northern Ireland, especially in Ulster. For more, click on radical rebels.

PROTESTANT SPLINTER GROUP VOWS WAR IN NORTHERN IRELAND

DUBLIN (CWNews.com) - A new Protestant extremist group set
up in Northern Ireland has threatened to wage war on "the
enemies of Ulster," according to media reports last week.

Eight masked members of the so-called Orange Volunteers
took a hooded journalist to a secret location where --
following a Bible reading -- they showed off guns and
grenades. They threatened to target members of the Irish
Republican Army who had been freed early from prison as
part of the Good Friday peace agreement of April 10. The
demonstration ended with prayers.

The Volunteers also claimed responsibility for a series of
attacks on Catholic bars and businesses last month, though
police said they only investigated one such incident.

Holy Father uses his Sunday Angelus to decry the plight of immigrants and the poor

The Holy Father diverted from his normal Sunday Angeles talk at St. Peter's to decry the treatment of immigrants by those who are exploiting their fate, citing the recent shipwreck in the Adriatic as an example of the tragedy of smuggling aliens that could be avoided by more careful and Christ-like love toward those less fortunate on everyone's part. Speaking of the poor, he reiterated the need for well-developed and rich nations to forgive the debts of third-world countries where the debts have become such a burden that governments have put the yoke on the people who suffer the most. He expressed his gratitude to those countries who have responded but cautioned that it is but a drop in the bucket to what can be accomplished and urged all nations to carefully examine their politics and motives and promote reforms that would benefit all. For more, click on immigrants, illegal aliens and the poor.

VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Reacting to news of a shipwreck in the
Adriatic Sea, Pope John Paul II used his Sunday Angelus audience to
issue a strong statement condemning the exploitation of immigrants
and illegal aliens.

A steady stream of refugees from Albania, Kosovo, Turkey, and other
countries is arriving on the eastern coast of Italy, often having
crossed the Adriatic in crowded, unseaworthy vessels. Experts
estimate that 17,000 people have arrived illegally in Italy by this
route during the past six months.

Last Friday, the collision of two such ships off the coast of Brindisi
left at least one person-- a year-old baby-- dead, and four others
missing and lost at sea.

"Even as we pray for the victims of the shipwreck, I cannot but
deplore, in the strongest possible terms, the manner in which some
people exploit the misery of so many poor people, for their own
personal gain," said the Pope. "These deaths should weigh heavily on
their consciences."

The latest accident, the Holy Father continued, "dramatically
illustrates the problems of clandestine transportation" of illegal
immigrants. He noted that the desperate families often entrust their
safety to "unscrupulous" smugglers. He called upon governments to
find ways to stop the "dishonest traffic" and create conditions in
which refugees could live with dignity and find ways to make a
better life.

In a similar pronouncement, Pope John Paul II has issued another
appeal for steps to ease the debt burden of impoverished countries.

Addressing the participants in an international conference of
parliamentarians, meeting in Rome to discuss the problems of world
hunger and the environment, the Holy Father urged wealthy
countries to "find the means to be generous in underwriting
programs that would ease or simply annul the heavy burdens of debt
which are crushing the least favored countries."

The Pope praised the many statements of concern which have been
issued by international bodies, calling for concrete action to address
the problem of hunger. But such statements have no effect, he said,
"because they are not supported by effective national legislation and
by the political will to put appropriate programs into place."

Possible Papal Trip being planned to Romania

The Holy Father met on Monday with the new Papal Envoy to Romania and expressed a strong desire to travel to Romania, a heavily Eastern Orthodox East European country. Some of the roadblocks, such as Church property confiscated by the communists and turned over to the Orthodox Church, remain to be removed before the Pope can officially make plans to visit this eastern-bloc country. It would be Pope John Paul II's first visit to Romania. For more, click on Romania

PAPAL TRIP DISCUSSED WITH NEW NUNCIO TO ROMANIA

VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Pope John Paul II today met with Bishop
Jean-Claude Perisset, the newly appointed papal nuncio to Romania.
Reporters speculated that the subject for the meeting might have a
proposed papal visit to Romania, but the Vatican made no
announcement about the discussion.

The Swiss-born bishop, a veteran Vatican official who has served in
previous diplomatic postings to Peru, France, Pakistan, and Japan,
was assigned to Romania on November 12. In recent months there
has been widespread discussion of a papal trip to Romania, which
would be the Pope's first official visit to a predominantly Orthodox
country in Eastern Europe.

Speaking to a reporter from the Roman news agency I Media after
his audience, Bishop Perisset confirmed that one of the key points he
would address as nuncio would be the status of church properties
which were confiscated from the Catholic Church by the former
Communist government, and handed over to Orthodox parishes. A
joint commission including both Catholic and Orthodox
representatives has recently made substantial progress toward a
satisfactory resolution of those cases, he reported.

As for a papal visit, the bishops said: "If things continue to progress,
that visit might be arranged. But for the moment, nothing has been
settled on that subject."

For more headlines and articles, we suggest you go to the Catholic World News site. CWN is not affiliated with the Daily CATHOLIC but provides this service via e-mail to the Daily CATHOLIC Monday through Friday.

PROVERB OF THE DAY

"The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the expectation of the wicked comes to nought."